Precinct caucuses kick off 2026 election process

Nearly 500 MAPE members took the first step toward winning a fair contract by attending their precinct caucuses on Feb. 3. 

Caucus attendance ranged from a record 19 in the Sunrise and Amador Townships near North Branch to dozens in others and hundreds in still more.   

“Our caucus was busy and full but there was a lot of energy. The Civic Engagement Officers and Senate District Leads did an amazing job!” Political Council Chair Nicole Juan, who convened a precinct in the SD63 caucus, said.  

Juan added that she “liked meeting neighbors and helping folks who are new to the process and want to know how they can help impact change.” 

“Caucuses and conventions are where decisions get made that impact our lives – who gets endorsed will set our agency budgets, determine our health care system and make other decisions. We should have a say about who these candidates are and help shape their priorities,” Union Power Project Chair Andrew Ulasich said.  

Juan said the Political Council and Union Power Project worked to build up MAPE’s political infrastructure at the local level “to make sure our working people’s agenda is heard throughout the convention process. It will also help set us up for when the MAPE PAC kicks off its electoral action program in June.“  

The Political Council took suggestions from membership and developed seven resolutions for members to introduce at their DFL and GOP caucuses:  

• 32-Hour Work Week, Fair Overtime  
• Abolish ICE 
• Creation of a fifth-tier tax on the very wealthy  
• Remove Right to Work Platform section (GOP) 
• Support Patient Centered Care  
• Work from Home Protections 
• Worker Protections from AI      

Juan and Ulasich said all the MAPE resolutions passed in their caucuses. 

Aviva Meyerhoff said all the MAPE resolutions also passed in her 61B caucus, “MAPE’s resolutions should appeal to everyone because they’re about better working conditions, affordability and human dignity.” 

She hosted a small event before caucus with MAPE members and neighbors. Nearly 200 people from three precincts in Senate District 61 met at a building in the Uptown area of Minneapolis. “It felt really exciting to know there were other MAPE members across the state bringing the same resolutions and fighting for the same things. I enjoyed learning more about the process and seeing local democracy in action!” Meyerhoff said.   

Five of the six MAPE members at her location, including Meyerhoff, will be Senate Convention delegates and at least two are also alternates for the city of Minneapolis convention. The next steps in the endorsement process are the Senate, Congressional and State Conventions.    

Spenser Bickett, a first-time caucus-goer in the Brainerd area, was also elected to attend the upcoming County Convention. More than 300 people attended the Crow Wing County DFL precinct caucus. While the labor resolutions Bickett presented were accepted, they weren’t the issue garnering the most attention in the elementary school gymnasium where the DFL caucuses were taking place.  

“One issue I heard loud and clear throughout the room was protecting the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCA). Our Representative, Pete Stauber, voted to lift a moratorium on copper mining in the Boundary Waters watershed and people want that pristine area protected for generations to come,” Bickett said.  

“For a while now, I’ve felt a desire to build connections in my workplace and community. It’s important to have in-person conversations. It was invigorating to see so many people involved, especially for the first time. It’s a lot less scary than people think it is. It’s literally something happening in your community with your neighbors. It’s just one night for a couple of hours and it’s fun.”